Sessions says now recalls meeting with Papadopoulos on Russia but not the details

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions testifies before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Justice Department on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, USA, 14 November 2017. (EPA Photo)

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday he now recalls a meeting in March 2016 that has come under scrutiny as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether President Donald Trump's election campaign colluded with Russia.

In testimony before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Sessions acknowledged he attended a meeting with George Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser who pleaded guilty last month to lying to the FBI.

According to court documents, Papadopoulos told the meeting he could help use his Russian connections to broker a meeting between then-candidate Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Sessions, who led a foreign policy advisory council for the Trump campaign, said he did not recall an encounter with another campaign adviser, Carter Page, who has said he told Sessions last year that he was preparing to visit Russia.

The appearance before the committee comes amid deepening questions about Sessions' awareness of contacts during the election effort between Russian government intermediaries and associates of the Trump campaign.